Four-year conflict grinds on, reshaping security far beyond Europe

Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow controls about a fifth of Ukraine as the war settles into a costly, grinding stalemate with intense fighting along sectors like Pokrovsk. Ukraine combines conventional defense with covert sabotage networks such as the Atesh movement to undermine Russian forces behind the lines. The conflict’s toll reaches far beyond Europe, with at least 55 Ghanaians killed after being drawn into combat, highlighting how globalized the war’s human cost has become. European leaders face mounting pressure to draw long-term security lessons and sustain support, while shifting U.S. politics under Trump-era pressures add further uncertainty to Ukraine’s prospects.